BJP`s `saffron` incentive for local body polls` victory

Bhopal: In a `sweet` way to garner mass support and increase its vote bank, the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh has been offering sweets among people, specially tribals, in party colours - saffron and green.

State BJP president Prabhat Jha had promised people in tribal areas, where the party got a thumping mandate for the first time in local bodies elections, that he will return after the polls for sharing the joy of victory by distributing `laddoos` and sweets.

The party has been offering `laddoos` and sweets in saffron and green colours for the last 2-3 days.

"I don`t think there is harm in distributing sweets among people to share the joy of victory," Jha said.

"So far, Jha has distributed 300-400 kg of sweets in party colours in Malwa-Nimar region of the state, which has been highly appreciated by the people," a senior party leader associated with the exercise said.

The state party president has now embarked on his `thanks giving` exercise to Umaria-Shahdol area with a huge bag of "party coloured" sweets for the people.
"Such things will definitely help the party in expanding its base, popularity and acceptance among the people," the party leader said.

Jha also tied "raksha sutras" (hand-bands) to the tribal people on the occasion of Rakshabandhan yesterday and asked them to "teach a lesson" to Congress for "disrespecting senior tribal MLA Gyan Singh" in the state Assembly recently.

The incident had led to the termination of membership of two Congress MLAs, Choudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi and Kalpana Parulekar, which was subsequently restored in a special session of the Assembly.

Out of 49 local bodies in tribal areas where polls were held last month, the ruling BJP candidates won the post of chairman and mayor at 36 places and their allies two seats.

However, terming the entire exercise as nothing but an attempt to lure poor tribals, senior Congress MLA Arif Aqueel said, "Let them do whatever they want, but their defeat is certain in 2013 Assembly polls."

Congress state media department chairman Manak Agrawal said it is an attempt to appease voters towards the party but such practices are "not healthy" for politics.